preparations.

Well, just as a brief (well, as brief as I can get, and by brief I mean not brief at all) update on the events of the days that have passed:

In the morning on Thursday we went to Sanyu Babies Home and I got some really good shots of my friend Jenna doing her physical therapy on some of the little ones.  It was really fun for me to be able to do that for her and to see how much she appreciated them once I gave her the finished product.  I hope to get to do some more of that for other people, it's really good practice.  

In the afternoon we went to the Remand Home where I surprisingly saw Irene, though she had been released last week.  I have to admit, it was exciting seeing her, but at first I was a little frustrated because the justice system here is really really bad and I assumed they had messed up on her case because this has happened to many of the kids we have gotten close with there.  She told me that she had malaria and that the conditions at Remand were better for her health than at home.  Plus, she was getting free medication there so she decided to stay until she felt better.  I prayed with her quickly and she excitedly told me she had been reading the Bible I had brought for her last week.  She showed me the verses she liked, and I showed her some of my favorite verses, it was really fun to at least initiate a conversation like this with her that will hopefully be continued, or hopefully not because she won't be there.  I'm not sure.  I also got to give the Bible I bought to Susan who gratefully received it and immediately flipped it open.  We did our usual program there, and they were really crazy that time.  The people leading the songs couldn't even hear themselves because the kids were all jumping up and down screaming the songs at the top of their lungs, it was amazing.  Then Heath gave another amazing message that touched so many of the kids.  He asked them at the end of his sermon if they wanted to give their lives to Christ, and if so to ask an "uncle or auntie" (which is what they call elders, meaning us) to pray with them.  I had a girl approach me named Medina who could not speak a lick of English.  I had one of the Ugandans I have gotten close with translate for me, and she said she wanted me to pray for her.  I prayed as Collin translated and could see the sincerity of her promise in her face.  I asked Irene if she was new to the Remand Home and she said she had just been admitted on Wednesday.  I told Medina I would come back next week with a Luganda Bible, which I went into town today and purchased.  I am excited to talk with her more and learn her story.  I am also excited for next weekend because I can start going to Remand on Sundays just to visit with Irene, Susan, and Medina without having to pause during the "program."  

Speaking of Medina, when we went to Kyampisi Community Church, there was a girl also named Medina who I was really attached to, but who wouldn't speak a word to me.  (Excuse me if I've already written about her, I can't remember.)  I asked someone what was wrong, though I thought I remembered her from the week previous as a girl who had contracted HIV/AIDS from birth.  They told me that it was her who was infected and that she was infected from birth.  These kids don't get a lot of attention from their parents usually, because the parents think that they won't live very long.  So from a very early age, these kids are instilled with a hopelessness thats enough to break any spirit, big or small.  Before I came, the Lord laid it on my heart to pay for an infected kids ARVs, and I really feel it might be this girl.  I have asked one of the Ugandans who works with the kids to talk with the parents about how much they might cost and he is going to get back to me hopefully before I go on safari this Sunday.  

Today in the morning we went to Davemi Infant & Nursery School in the stone quarries by the King's palace.  That place is overwhelmingly beautiful, and I just love going there.  It's really crazy because it's at the top of one of the many huge hills in Kampala, so the drive up there in the safari van is adventurous to put it lightly.  But once you get there, you look out from the front "porch" (this is in quotes because, well, I can't really explain, it's more like a cliff I guess) and you can see for miles of the scenery of Kampala.  It's incredible.  However, it is amazing how much beauty there is in so many broken places.  Almost all the kids at this school have been infected with HIV/AIDS and their parents have as well.  So again, many of these kids have not much to hope for because of the thought process that has been instilled into their brains since they were diagnosed. 

 I got to see some girls I talked with last week, and they recognized me right away.  One of them was really why and every time I would look at her she would hide her face and giggle.  The other would do something similar, but I kept getting distracted because something about her was different from before.  I finally realized that she had some burn marks near her left eye that hadn't been there last week.  I tried to ask her what happened, but she only replied in Luganda and all the Ugandans were busy cooking porridge so I couldn't get her embarrassed whispers translated.  Oh how that frustrated me.  I really hope we go back at the beginning of next week so I can pull her aside right away with a Ugandan and we can talk about it.  I also noticed a little girl who just breaks my heart every week.  She has burn marks covering her entire face, and part of her skull is showing on the top of her head.  I'm not sure what is wrong with her, and I'm too afraid to ask her.  Not because of the disfigurement of her face, but because I know she struggles with it a lot, even as a 1st grader.  Each time I'm there I see someone picking on her, and she runs to a corner crying.  Today, it happened right in front of my face and it took all my energy not to cane the little girl who had teased her.  At the beginning of our "program" I went and sat next to her and whispered in her ear, "Peacey, oli mulungi.  Yesu akwagala nyo nyo nyo."  Which means, "Peacey, you are beautiful.  Jesus loves you so so so much."  She smiled and inched a little closer, never clinging to me like so many of the others do however.  I started rubbing her back a little bit when the little girl next to her spoke some quick, heated Luganda after slapping Peacey's arm.  Peacey stared at her for a few minutes, and I didn't even know what was going on, until Peacey collapsed with her head in her arms, sobbing.  My eyes filled with tears and I thank the Lord for calming my temper towards the other girl who had hurt this girl who was already hurting much more than I can ever understand.  I tried to console her, but Peacey being a pretty cold little 1st grader simply because of her circumstances, didn't allow my arms to wrap around her little waist, she wouldn't let me lift her to my lap, she just sat there next to me as I rubbed her back.  Every now and again she would look up at me and I would just whisper, "oli mulungi, nkwagala (you are beautiful, I love you)" over and over again, and she would put her face back into her arms.  I want to see her more before I leave, I want her to understand the Father's love for her so she can face her schoolmates with confidence and boldness.  I am praying for her now as well.

After going back and having a quick lunch me and my friend Jenna went to the post office to pick up the package my mother had sent me and to see if one of her packages had come or not.  We ended up getting back to the house late, so we went straight to Good Choice Primary School in Kireka on a boda-boda where we were supposed to do some general cleaning of the buildings.  This school is really fun because the kids are absolutely wild.  The van rolls into the compound and you immediately hear hundreds of kids clamoring up to the sides of the car banging on the windows, screaming for us to get out.  It is hard to get out without tripping and falling into a mob of little elementary kids.  However, it always grosses me out because the "floor" is just dirt, or rather mud mixed with poo.  Yes.  I said it.  The kids were out washing their shoes and simply throwing the dirty water onto the dirt/poo floor, just making it worse, and that's when it hit me that we were cleaning this.  That was an instant humility lesson.  We ended up having to further wet the floors of the classrooms so as to "control the dust" and then sweep all the stray papers and dirt out of the classrooms before mopping it all at the end.  We only got to sweeping before all of us were covered with the mud/poo and realized we were doing nothing so we went home.  

Upon arriving at the house, I began taking out my plaits.  I have to say, I already have post-partum depression over them.  I really loved them.  However, they were starting to look a little grown-in, and it's not really appropriate to wear your hair plaited at these introduction ceremonies if they're not looking absolutely perfect.  So for Sarah's sake, I took out my fake hair plaits.  I can't lie, my hair is so gross right now.  It is basically dreaded already because it is in clumps of grease from the braids, but at the same time it is all kinky from the braids.  I look like an 80's drag queen if we're going to be honest here.  Plus, I'm still covered in mud because I don't plan on showering until tomorrow so I'll be the most fresh for Sarah's intro, so my personal hygiene is just really great right now.  Another lesson in humility and not finding confidence in my looks: check.  I am definitely going to get them re-done before I come home because I loved them so much, but I am going to take the next 2-3 weeks to get my hair relaxed and clean before doing it again.  Plus I am trying to decide if I should just do the braids again, or what they call afro-kinky, which is basically just dreads made out of extensions so they can be taken out and used again.  Though it is much more expensive and I'm not sure how I feel about it, all the Ugandans and many of the MST's really want me to do it.  I guess we'll see.  

In other news, this will be my last post until Tuesday most likely unless I get time tomorrow, though I highly doubt it.  Tomorrow is Sarah's introduction ceremony and the girls spent tonight doing last minute touch ups to our outfits.  We ironed our "dresses," (A piece of red, yellow, black, and gold fabric that we wrap around ourselves and tie a black fabric belt around our waists with a black chunky African necklace and sandals) painted our nails, plucked eyebrows, the works.  I think this will be the best I've looked so far tomorrow.  We will be driving out to Jinja around 11 a.m. and we will get there around 1 p.m.  From there, the women in Sarah's tribe will help us tie our dresses and get them secured and we will practice the Lugandan greeting we must say to the in-laws before we enter the ceremony.  The men will be wearing full church attire (slacks and a button-up shirt) with a traditional African dress, though they all insist it looks more like a tunic from Jesus' time, and a suit jacket over it.  It will be hilarious, I simply can't wait.  Then on Sunday I leave for Safari until Tuesday evening!  I can't wait to use that time to just refresh and re-energize with the only One who can truly do this.  

In all, this weekend will be a good end to a rough week.